Success Story 6

Imaging running away from your place of birth, to a strange country thousands of kilometres away with little knowledge of when you will ever see your family again. This is what happened to Mary* and her family, when they fled to South Africa from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a result of the ongoing political conflict.

Mary* and her mother were the victims of a gang rape by rebel forces and by coming to South Africa, they hoped to bury this ordeal behind them and to start a new life.

With no job, money, no husband and little protection from the South African government, Mary’s mother and her two children found themselves in a refugee shelter.

For six years, Mary* and her family struggled to survive, moving from one shelter to the another and often sleeping on the streets in the bitter cold.

After a bad spell of ill health, Mary* was diagnosed to be HIV positive, just one of the bitter realities and consequences of the war.

Today Mary* is a beautiful and confident 16 year old and tells of the challenges of living as a refugee and a HIV positive person: “I owe my life to Islamic Relief. Before we were discovered, we lived in a shelter with no privacy, no food and no warm clothes. I could not take my ARV’s for fear of our neighours’ prying eyes. I hated going to school.”

“Thanks to Islamic Relief, our lives have changed for the better. We have a room we call home and we can live in a private and dignified life. The monthly food parcel we receive guarantees us a meal and we receive a transport subsidy that saves us from walking one hour a day to school.”

Mary* is now in Grade 12 and aspires to attend University to study Business Administration next year.

By helping a child like Mary*, through the Islamic Relief Orphan Endowment Waqf Fund, you will help all of humanity.